SilverFallsAndrew

Oregon came out really flat yesterday. Stanford also has two field goal drives which ate up a bunch of time early. It was 6-0 Stamford in the 2nd quarter and then Oregon snapped into focus and blew them out easily. I kind of liked that they had to face a little adversity.

I'm going to pivot here and talk a little about the BIG GAME coming up in Seattle on October 14th. I think at this point UW will probably win, but I think Oregon has a legitimate chance. They essentially gave the game away at home last year due to some truly awful coaching by Dan Lanning, and an untimely late injury to Bo Nix. Lanning seems better this year so far, and you know Nix would love nothing better than to beat the Huskies in Seattle. A lot of Husky fans I know are talking a big game, several of them have told me straight up they believe the Huskies are the best team in the nation. That's big talk, and it is possible the Huskies could get into the playoff this year, but it seems unlikely. They do have a talented coach, good offensive scheme, and several outstanding skill position players. On the other hand, they just don't have the level of talent and depth a team like Oregon or USC has. Any team is vulnerable at the QB position, but outside of that, if USC or Oregon lose a WR or running back, or a couple guys on defense, they still have blue chip 4 or 5 star guys ready to step up and fill that gap. Right now I see 4 teams with a chance to win the Pac-12. USC, Oregon, UW, and Oregon State. I believe the winner of the game on the 14th will be in the Pac-12 title game, and honestly both of them could meet again in Las Vegas. If I were UW fans I would consider the following... - UW's defense is a bit suspect. They have faced some pretty weak competition, but have given up some points. A combined 56 points allowed against CAL and Arizona, probably the #8 and #9 teams in the conference, is not exactly championship caliber. - To this point the Huskies have shown they have a pretty one dimensional offense. I can think of another team Oregon has played that has lit every other team up, except the Ducks, and doesn't run the football. - Penix has only been sacked 3 times so far, but Oregon has 18 sacks on the season. - Oregon may very well be the best defense UW will play this season, it seems like the Ducks defense has taken a major step forward in year 2 under Lanning. Again, I think there is a better than even chance UW wins this game, but if things go sideways, the factors above will be prophetic.

Yeah I get it. You are looking at this from a fans perspective.

In case anyone was wondering... Ohtani missed the last month of the season and still easily led the AL in HR's, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, and what I think is really wild, led the AL in Total Bases. He also finished 4th in Batting Average. Ohtani also led the MLB with 10.1 WAR. Mookie Betts led the NL with 8.4 WAR, while the much hyped Ronald Acuna Jr came in with 8.1 WAR. Ohtani should easily win his 2nd AL MVP, and I would expect Acuna to win the NL MVP, though I would personally vote for Betts. Gerrit Cole is the clear Cy Young favorite in the AL, finishing with 7.5WAR, with Blake Snell (AKA the 21st Century Bret Saberhagen) looking to pick up his 2nd Cy Young for the Padres. He finished with by far the lowest ERA in the big leagues, and led the NL in pitching WAR.

So you are going to blame the best player on the team? He was incredible in July and August, slow start to the year, but the six weeks after the all-star break showed he is a true talent. It is disappointing he couldn't keep up the pace through September, but he delivered 5.3 WAR this season, 32 HR's 37 SB, and salvaged a .275 BA after a horrible start to the year. Oh yeah, and he drove in over 100 runs. Solid production from a guy in his age 22 season. I would like to see him strike out a bit less and walk a bit more, his OBP is pretty lame, but overall he's a great young and exciting player. If you own the Mariners you have to believe Julio will only continue to improve, it is not a stretch to believe he could be an MVP candidate in a couple of years.

Looks like we could get about 1/2" of rain with this next system. Better than nothing.

America lost.

Great point! Imagine if we spent the 110B we've given to Ukraine on defending our own border and addressing income inequality in our own country. What's going on with Ukraine is absolutely SICK.

If October does end up dry I may try to squeeze in one more river float. Probably won't do the Willamette again, but might do the McKenzie... Or Clackamas...

There is a reason the Democrats LOVE Ukraine so much.

Many Black folks believe abortion is pushed in their community in order to limit their numbers. The number Anti Marine Layer quoted is accurate, whether or not you agree with his interpretation. Margaret Sanger was a racist and eugenicist who wanted to "control" the Black population, though there has been an attempt in recent years to white wash these facts.

I think you stole the 2018-19 = modern 1968-69 from me. .

I don’t think 2009-10 can be considered a dud west of the cascades. Fairly legit arctic outbreak and cold December.

At least the flight home is non-stop. Can't wait until October 15th. My wife totally hijacked this trip...lol.

Obviously many of you are disappointed in how the Mariners season turned out, but looking at it from a glass half full perspective, they were in the hunt until the final weekend. 88 wins with this roster is about what one would expect, I don't think you can call it a disappointment from that perspective. The slow start to the season is really what doomed them, not the lackluster finish. The run they went on in July and August was fantastic, but not sustainable. 4-5 more wins in April/May would have made all the difference. The fact is there is still a massive talent gap between them and the Astros, and I think as fans people should acknowledge this. They have a good core on the mound, they had the 3rd best ERA in the majors, and 3rd most quality starts. The top 3 in the rotation are under contract for the next several years. They need to continue to stock the bullpen, and develop depth, but this should continue to be an area of strength. The lineup is a big issue. They have some guys with pop, but overall they don't hit for average, strike out an alarming rate, and don't get on base very well in other ways. They were 22nd in the MLB in batting average and 15th in on base percentage, while striking out more than any other team save the Twins, who of course play in a pathetic division. In the offseason I would prioritize making a run at Ohtani, and probably look to move on from Suarez and France. Or maybe you keep Suarez and let Hernandez walk. Either way they need build a team that can manufacture runs, not just rely on homeruns all the time. This team has a core which could compete for the AL west for the next several years. Julio is a star, I thought overall he took a step this year, and he probably has another level he can reach.

A savvy GM would trade him in the offseason. Not sure why you are lashing out today. Whether a cause or a symptom his implosion was definitely the straw which broke the camels back.

Kansas City, Tulsa, back to KC, on to DC, up to New York, and then over to Boston. Going to be exhausting.

Beautiful snaps. I wish I was going to be in the PNW these next two beautiful weeks of golden autumn. But instead I’ll be on a deeply unsatisfying trip.

You seem bored and obsessed with trying to start a flame war. Not gonna happen.

Seems like the walls must be closing in on you...

My kids enjoyed watching the Toy Story game. My wife commented that women should watch the game to understand football better.

It's interesting that once George Kirby blew up the clubhouse the Mariners season was essentially over.

Interesting.

Last year about this time we were dealing with weeklong power shut offs to avoid a calamity. Can’t imagine the bitching we would have heard from you if you had to be on generator power for days on end due to fire danger. I’ll take this.